Chemical additives found in a range of consumer products, from baby bottles to toys to intravenous drip bags, may well be dangerous to humans, a panel of experts said Thursday, but it said it needed more time to decide. Members of a panel asked to determine the risks from the chemicals, known as phthalates, had been expected to issue a final report on their findings Thursday but ran out of time before reaching a consensus.

Linking prostate cancer to a widespread industrial compound, scientists have found that exposure to a chemical that leaks from plastic causes genetic changes in animals' developing prostate glands that are precursors of the most common form of cancer in males. The chemical, bisphenol A, or BPA, is used in the manufacture of hard, polycarbonate plastic for baby bottles, microwave cookware and other consumer goods, and it has been detected in nearly every human body tested.

The California Assembly put off a final vote on whether to ban the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from baby bottles and infant formula and baby food containers Wednesday after an emotional debate over children's safety. The measure, favored by a 35-31 vote, twice fell short of 41 necessary for passage. It was scheduled to come up for another vote today. A ferocious lobbying battle over the legislation pitted public health and education groups against chemical, pharmaceutical and packaging giants, and was closely watched around the nation amid similar movements to ban the chemical.

Environmentalists were counting on big gains in Sacramento this summer, with a governor eager to burnish his green credentials in his final months in office. But by the time the legislative session ended at midnight Tuesday, those hopes had fizzled. Activists had worked for passage of such pioneering measures as a ban on plastic grocery bags and expanded use of the sun, wind and other renewable resources to power California homes and businesses. But the bold proposals they saw as a springboard to nationwide environmental efforts collapsed in the face of aggressive industry opposition that included intensive lobbying, television advertising and even mail to voters.

Anna Nicole Smith spent the last days of her life drifting in and out of consciousness under the pale blue comforter of a king-sized hotel bed, too weak to walk, sit up or drink from anything other than a baby bottle, according to court testimony Tuesday. The description of the period preceding the supermodel's 2007 death from an overdose of a sedative and other drugs came on the opening day of a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to try two physicians and Smith's boyfriend for conspiring to illegally furnish the 39-year-old with prescription medications.

Fire swept through an apartment in Burtonsville, killing three girls and critically injuring their mother, authorities said. The victims, an infant and her 2- and 4-year-old sisters, were not breathing when firefighters arrived, Montgomery County Fire Department spokesman Pete Piringer said. Investigators believe the fire started in the kitchen after the woman placed a plastic device used to sterilize baby bottles near the stove, which was on, Piringer said. She then fell asleep.

Connecticut's attorney general announced that six companies had stopped manufacturing baby bottles containing bisphenol-A, a chemical that some studies say may be harmful to infants. Attorneys general from Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey sent letters in October to 11 companies asking them to end their use of the chemical. Avent America Inc., Disney First Years, Gerber, Dr. Brown's, Playtex Products Inc. and Evenflo Co. are voluntarily complying with the request, Connecticut Atty.

Government toxicologists have reiterated safety concerns about a chemical used in baby bottles and food containers, just weeks after the Food and Drug Administration declared the substance safe. A report by the National Toxicology Program said there was "some concern" that bisphenol A could cause developmental problems in the brain and hormonal systems of infants and children. The conclusion repeats initial findings issued in April. The group said bisphenol's risks to humans could not be ruled out but acknowledged that its concerns were based on animal studies.

A ubiquitous chemical found in hard-plastic water bottles, DVDs, CDs and hundreds of other common items came under increased pressure Friday when Canada said it might ban the use of bisphenol A in baby bottles because it is potentially harmful. Health Canada made the announcement shortly after a U.S. company said it would stop selling hard-plastic Nalgene water bottles made with bisphenol A because of increasing consumer concern over whether the chemical poses a health risk.

A consumer advocacy group's analysis of canned goods has found measurable levels of the chemical additive bisphenol A (BPA) across a range of foods, including some that were labeled "BPA free." Children eating multiple servings of some of the tested food could get doses of BPA "near levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies," according to the survey released Monday by Consumers Union, a nonprofit organization that publishes Consumer Reports. The findings bolster the case for banning BPA from use in materials that come in contact with food and beverages -- such as can linings, baby bottles and sippy cups -- the group said in a letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.